Calais, Maine
Calais, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 45°9′58″N 67°14′33″W / 45.16611, -67.2425
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Washington
Incorporated	1809
Area
- Total	40.0 sq mi (103.7 km²)
- Land	34.0 sq mi (88.2 km²)
- Water	6.0 sq mi (15.5 km²)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,447
- Density	101.3/sq mi (39.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04619
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-09585
GNIS feature ID	0563341

Calais is a city in the state of Maine in the United States, and a port of entry situated on the St. Croix River at the border with St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. It is in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,447 at the 2000 census. The local pronunciation of Calais rhymes with palace. listen (help·info).

History

Calais Avenue in 1905

The river and its area were first explored by Samuel de Champlain when he and his men spent a winter on St. Croix Island in 1604. The first permanent settler was Daniel Hill of Jonesboro, who arrived in 1779, and with others built the first sawmill in 1782. On June 27, 1789, the Massachusetts General Court sold the township to Waterman Thomas for 19¢ an acre (Approx $2.30 an acre in 2006 dollars). Early occupations included farming, hunting and ship building.

On June 16, 1809, Plantation Number 5 PS was incorporated as Calais after Calais, France, in honor of French assistance during the American Revolution. The river provided the mill town with water power for industry, which included sawmills, clapboard and shingle mills, 2 planing mills, a saw factory, 2 axe factories and 4 grain mills. There were foundries, machine shops, granite works, shoe factories and a tannery. Other businesses produced bricks, bedsteads, brooms, carriages and plaster. The St. Croix and Penobscot Railway connected the town with Baring in 1849-1850. Calais was incorporated as a city on August 24, 1850. On July 18, 1864, Confederate agents crossed the border from New Brunswick, Canada, and robbed a bank in Calais. [2]

Designed by the noted Boston architect Arthur H. Vinal, the Calais Free Library opened on July 4, 1893. The Romanesque Revival building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Calais has both a residential and downtown historic district.

Notable residents

• Nehemiah Abbott, congresswoman
• Ron Corning, television anchor man
• Thomas Fuller, congresswoman
• Frederick A. Pike, congresswoman
• James Shepherd Pike, journalist
• Henry Milner Rideout, author
• Harriet Prescott Spofford, author
• Horatio Nelson Young, naval hero

Geography

Calais is located at 45°9′58″N, 67°14′33″W (45.166045, -67.242434)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.0 square miles (103.7 km²), of which, 34.0 square miles (88.2 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²) of it (14.94%) is water. Calais is located at the head of tide on the St. Croix River.

Calais is the northern terminus of the East Coast Greenway which has its southern terminus in Key West, Florida.

Demographics

Whitlock's Mill Lighthouse in 1916

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 3,447 people, 1,486 households, and 904 families residing in the city. The population density was 101.3 people per square mile (39.1/km²). There were 1,921 housing units at an average density of 56.4/sq mi (21.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.81% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,486 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.

St. Croix River in c. 1920

In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,623, and the median income for a family was $39,118. Males had a median income of $37,684 versus $20,058 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,135. About 11.1% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Calais operates under the council-manager form of government. The current city manager is Diane Barnes. Some past city managers include: William Bridgeo, Nancy Orr, and Mark Ryckman. The current city mayor is Vinton Cassidy.

Transportation

Calais is located along U.S. Route 1 and Maine State Route 9.

The St. Stephen-Calais Bridge and the Milltown International Bridge connect Calais to St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Construction is expected to begin in 2008 on a third bridge connecting the two communities. The new bridge, currently scheduled to open in 2009, will serve primarily commercial trucking traffic, while the current bridges will remain in use for passenger vehicles ^[5]Construction of the associated roadways and turning lanes is ongoing (Spring 2008).

Media

There are a few television stations (mostly from Saint John, New Brunswick and Bangor, Maine that serve Calais via rebroadcast transmitters:

Stations available on Cable:

• CBAT-TV CBC Fredericton
• WVII (ABC), (Bangor)
• WABI-DT2 (The CW), (Bangor)

Sites of interest

• Downeast Heritage Museum
• St. Croix Historical Society & Museum
• St. Croix Island International Site

References

• History of Calais, Maine

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Calais (Maine).

• City of Calais, Maine
• Calais Free Library
• St. Croix Valley Chamber of Commerce
• Washington County Community College
• Calais High School

• Calais, Maine is at coordinates 45°09′58″N 67°14′33″W / 45.166045, -67.242434 (Calais, Maine)Coordinates: 45°09′58″N 67°14′33″W / 45.166045, -67.242434 (Calais, Maine)

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